Inspired Self-leadership coaching and mentoring

Blossom into your next chapter of Inspired Self-leadership

“I think you’re a great enabler, you encourage people to believe in themselves to the point at which they believe their dreams are possible. You lead people to a place where they can see the limitations they believed were in place in their lives were nothing more than illusions of their own creation and that the real truth is that there are endless opportunities for a rich and fulfilling life.”

Liz Trubridge, the executive producer of Downton Abbey

“I do believe we are all here to make a unique contribution to life and are each inspired to blossom in to our full potential, and bring particular leadership gifts and projects into existence. These are our expressions of love in the world and are what make our life profoundly meaningful. And I know what we can find ourselves up against in ourselves. Inspiration has an evil twin, and our fear and resistance to doing what we are “Born To Do” can be massive and can derail us. And I know we each have the capacity to get past our resistance to live a rich and fulfilling life.”

My niche of expertise

TV producers, film makers, management consultants, MD’s and CEO’s of businesses and charities, hotel entrepreneurs, stock investors, restaurateurs, lawyers, university school heads, inspirational speakers, authors, artists, musicians, coaches have all sought me out to support them in unfolding the next chapter of their life and leadership and becoming who they can be.

Typically, I work with individual leaders who are doing what they love and are at a significant threshold in their life and are pioneering into a new chapter of their leadership. They feel inspired, and hear their inner call to blossom and are pioneering and writing the next chapter of their leadership, but they also experience to this next chapter. They value my support to enable them grow beyond their current zone of comfort, move in to new territory, stay inspired, focused and believing in themselves, find their true gifts and brilliance, manage their vulnerability, and to enable them to get past their own fear and resistance and bring their projects into existence.

I serve those leaders who want to operate increasingly from a consciousness of inspiration, creativity, generosity and collaboration, rather than competitiveness, fear or control. I love working with leaders who are inspired to draw the best out of themselves and the people around them. Those who want to integrate aspects of their spirituality into their leadership find my support particularly valuable.

Three Inspired Self-leadership Stories:

From the Doldrums to Downton Abbey:

In 2008 I coached Liz who had been a successful producer in TV, but was in a career doldrums and had some projects but nothing definite in the pipeline. She was beginning to lose faith. At last, a commission came from the BBC and a feature film followed on from that but it was when she landed the producing role on Downton Abbey that Liz was able to be at the heart of successfully bringing the project to our screens and has produced of all six series. Currently, she and I now exploring her unique leadership style that has contributed to the incredible success of Downton Abbey.

A Hotel of his Own:

Kurt’s been instrumental in bringing hotel projects to life, including being involved in the founding and development of 1 Aldwych in London. He wanted to conceive his own hotel and bring it to life. I coached him and he subsequently conceived the Hoxton hotel in Shoreditch which was pioneering and has become a landmark London hotel, and was sold in 2012. I now support him to bring his next London Landmark hotel into existence.

From BBC to Global Impact:

Euan was head of Knowledge Management at the BBC in London. He was profoundly frustrated with the way the organisation shared its knowledge and wanted to make the quality of working life better. So he successfully pioneered in using Web 2.0 to initiate and open up online conversation at the BBC, believing passionately that everyone had a voice and something to contribute. He started to develop a reputation, became a sought after expert, and was invited to speak around the world. Through our coaching, he began to see that his own platform at the BBC wasn’t big enough for what he had to say. He plucked up the courage to leave to create his own platform and share his own voice. He is now a prominent blogger, in demand speaker and business strategist, helping organisations engage with the web, and social media and is author of Organisations Don’t Tweet.

Liz, Kurt and Euan and have all been brave and pioneered, bringing inspiring new projects in to this world, and all had a big impact, often in the face of their own personal resistance and external challenges and difficulties. They lead by digging deep to draw the best out of themselves and the people on their teams, and by seeking to create harmonious environments where people can be empowered, blossom and give their best.

My own narrative in pioneering Self-leadership

Ever since a homeless guy in London’s Embankment Gardens told me, “Cheer up, mate,” in 1986, it was obvious that my corporate career wasn’t making me happy. Later that year I gave my first public talk in Cirencester and I knew I had discovered what I was “Born To Do.” I knew I was on earth to speak, inspire, and educate about new inspiring and more human ways of working, being in business and leadership. Although I felt inspired to blossom in to my potential, I had no idea of how I would do it, or what I was going to be up against within myself. It has taken so much more than I expected to blossom in to my own potential.
My philosophy is simple, but not easy. I believe we all blossom in atmospheres where we feel loved, supported, encouraged and appreciated, but we are so trained to think fearfully. We need to start with ourselves. Often we are so tough on ourselves, and push ourselves rather than naturally blossom. Consequently, I says, “Every act of love is an act of leadership, whether that is love for ourselves or each other. And every decision is a choice between fear and leadership.” I have needed to become considerably more self-loving.
I have spent the last three decades pioneering on my own journey of self-leadership and following my own calling, leading and bringing a series of projects into existence. I have offering thought leadership on work, business and leadership, and continue to.

Personal Development
Going into therapy in 1986 and starting the journey of unwrapping my own potential.
I also began attending doing men’s work in the mid 1980’s and continue to do so today.

Stepping Out
Leaving my own corporate career to start my own business in 1989, when there was no Internet, and very few people were leaving safe and secure corporate careers. By continually stepping out and stepping up and being willing to be visible, I have been able to reach out and inspire many other people to go on their own inspired journeys.

In 1988, I started a 21 year Involvement with Alternatives – I co-led London’s premier London platform for cutting edge human potential, personal and spiritual growth, and brought the world’s leading thinkers and authors to London, at a time when these ideas weren’t mainline and as accepted as they are today.

As a host and impresario – through Alternatives and my own businesses I have hosted around 1400 talks and workshops in London since 1992, often hosting leaders in their field, many of whom have become friends. In 1994 I co-hosted two events with Wayne Dyer and Deepak Chopra, with 700 people in Manchester and 2,500 people. These were two of the biggest personal growth events in the UK at the time.

“Nick Williams offers useful and inspiring insights to explore the infinite possibilities inherent in every human being.”Deepak Chopra, author of The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success many other books

“Nick Williams is a wonderful man.”Susan Jeffers, author of Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, End the Struggle and Dance With Life, and Dare to Connect

“Nick is a great guy doing wonderful work and is an inspired teacher with much to contribute.”Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, author of Manifest Your Destiny, You’ll See it When You Believe it and Your Sacred Self

The Work You Were Born to Do

I pioneered the idea of The Work We Were Born To Do, and the idea that your work can be your calling and you can be paid well for doing what you love. I wrote my first book, was published in 1999 and started to be invited around the world.

“Beautiful sequencing of proven principles – bursting with passion and wisdom.”Steven Covey, author of the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, on Nick’s first book The Work We Were Born To Do

I also pioneered the idea that work can and should be inspiring and have been invited by companies and organisations such as IKEA, BT, BBC, Merrill Lynch, The Health and Safety
Executive, W H Smith, Yo! Sushi, The Met Police, PricewaterhouseCoopers, The University of Westminster and a number of NHS trusts, as well as leadership organisations like The Institute of Leadership and Management and The Global Leaders Academy.

“Nick is able to authentically explore the human condition in ways which help individuals unearth their own potential, purpose and positive energy – not just in theoretical ways, but with realism and practical wisdom. He actually lives what he writes and talks about and, in person, is able to bless others with his full presence and empathic listening.”Prof. Kurt April, PhD FRSA, Professor of Leadership, Diversity & Inclusion Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town, Chairman of the International Advisory Council (DIAC) to Novartis International (Switzerland), and Member of the Special Agenda Council on Talent & Diversity of the World Economic Forum (Switzerland)

As a community leader – I pioneered Inspired Entrepreneur in 2005 and co-created a successful global community supporting, educating and coaching business owners to create a successful business around what they loved. I embraced social media for the first timeIn the media – I am regularly invited to be involved in the media and have contributed to around 2,000 media featuresAs a workshop presenter and conference speaker – I have been invited to speak at national and international conferences in seventeen countries so far and have actually given around 1,500 talks and workshops in 17 countries since my first talk in 1986.Pioneering as a coach and mentor to leaders around the world – I have acted as coach, mentor and advisor to leaders and emerging leaders in many and diverse areas, such as: leisure and entertainment, the law, academia, the media, finance, personal and spiritual growth and the leadership arenas

“I have known Nick for several years now as a writer, guide, mentor and presenter. His inspirational messages and real wisdom about life and love are valued by everyone he touches. He is compassionate and challenging with equal balance; a powerful combination in the mentoring world. Nick certainly is a force majeure in this world and is truly making a difference in the lives of many people.”Sue Cheshire, founder of The Global Leaders Academy

As an author – since my first book was published in 1999, I have written another eleven more books, as well as dozens of live and online training and educational programmes. Many more books are on their way.

“I have known Nick Williams for eight years now. He is a man of considerable talents. I have been motivated to think differently about my own place in the world by a workshop I attended where he presented on the topic of finding and developing your passion. His fast-growing learning community inspires many people to connect with each other, to learn and to develop their personal potential. And, during our many conversations on a wide variety of business topics, he has stimulated my thinking with his perceptive wisdom and thoughtful ideas. Nick cares deeply about giving of his best during each and every engagement with others. He is constantly working to develop new ideas which he expresses both through his words and in his writing. I admire him tremendously as a coach, business leader, writer and thinker for our times.”Judy Piatkus, founder of Piatkus Books and now angel investor and founder of Conscious Café

As an incubator of other authors and thought leaders – I have run many seminars on writing and publishing, written a book on the subject, and personally coached and encouraged hundreds of people to write their own books and share their messages with the world.

Love is Good Business – My latest project is called Love is Good Business. I support leaders who are dedicated to drawing the best of themselves and those around them, and closing the gap between how they are in their personal and professional lives. Incubating leaders who inspire the soul, who are Higher Purpose Leaders, as well as working for money and status, leaders who want to help cultivate and bring out the best in those they serve, who want to help others blossom

Why I Love Working with Inspired Self-leadership

In short, because I know this emotional territory so well. It can be a challenging journey, but when you make it through your resistance, then there are great things waiting for you. And I have learned that following my calling and living a life of purpose regularly leads me to thresholds of vulnerability, which then become the birthing places of new chapters of my life and leadership. I have often felt inadequate and scared. I have been up against massive resistance in myself. I can feel I am not enough and never feel like I could achieve enough. I have felt like an imposter and that I don’t belong. I am also very familiar with times of relentless self-judgement and even self-crucifixion, usually just when I am just about to have a major step forward. I have tried desperately to cover up how bad I have felt about myself at times. But as a face and pass through these vulnerabilities, whole new horizons open up.

I have come to understand how much of my life has been influenced by deeply buried beliefs that have led to self-defeating behaviour. I have come to realise that our greatest fear is how powerful, successful and influential we can be. Indeed, what I so often find is that the more important an action or project is to our personal and leadership evolution, the more likely we are to experience fear and resistance to that next action. As we muster the courage to move ahead in the face of resistance, we find whole new chapters and new gifts and new levels of success and fulfilment.

Now, having followed my own sense of inspiration for the last 30 years, I, I have discovered a well of creativity in me that I barely sensed was there, and I have experienced incredible fulfilment. I have become much more of the real and authentic me. My world has opened up tremendously, incredible opportunities have come my way as I followed my own calling. I have achieved things and had an impact I barely dreamed was possible.

I’m blessed to work with a range of inspired leaders. Here are what some of my coaching clients are saying about me:

“Nick presented ILM’s most successful Leadership Masterclass to date, ‘Unleash your inner brilliance’. We normally attract around 20 people per Masterclass but for Nick’s event we had 75! Nick tackled that part of individuals that much of the leadership literature doesn’t; the inner self and spark that lies in all of us. He goes right to the heart of what makes people tick – showing individuals how they can unlock their passion, tap into their leadership skills and become more successful. On top of that Nick is lovely to work with – he’s a high quality professional with a big heart and tonnes of insight to boot.”Helen Oldfield, Head of Marketing, the Institute of Leadership & Management

“Speaking from personal experience, what I see as you as ‘you at your best’ is your being inspirational, and hence motivational. You have helped me several times to reframe my thinking, such that I am able to step onto a faster conveyor belt towards achieving my goals. In the wider perspective (from my observation) I see you as bringing people together for their mutual fulfilment. You have great skill in facilitating people’s access to information and experiences that would otherwise remain unavailable to them. People love being around you, and your manifest love for them makes them feel safe and cared for.”Peter Carey MD of The PDP group of companies

“At the crossing point in my career, I stumbled upon Nick’s book The Work We Were Born to Do. I’ve been hooked ever since. Through his own talks and guest speakers, I’ve was inspired to set up the business that I was born to set up, today, I’m blessed with enjoying 90% of my work. Being an entrepreneur is a difficult journey, at critical low points in my life and career, Nick managed to shine a light and shown me the way. His input has enabled me to bloom like a butterfly, shedding lots fear and conditioning. I can now live my life in my “brilliance” as a leader who is ready to make this world a better place.”Amie Lee, Pioneer and MD of Naturally Chinese restaurant, the first MSG-free Chinese restaurant in the UK

“Having been coached by Nick myself I would recommend him for coaching. Any kind of coaching – life, business, career. He is a great listener and helps you work towards your own answers rather than knowing what is good for you!”Euan Semple, formerly Head of Knowledge Management at the BBC, now an independent thought leader and author of Organisations Don’t Tweet

“Leadership isn’t about having a great job title and a corner office – it’s being authentic, and courageous and Nick personifies those characteristics. He has been a superb mentor, coach and friend for me for many years. I’m grateful to Nick for inspiring me to find my own authentic voice, encouraging me to write my book, The Tao of Storytelling and coaching me while I was setting-up The Story Mill to bring my passion for storytelling into business. Thank you Nick for your amazing leadership and for inspiring others to become leaders in their own lives too.”Claire Taylor, leading marketing consultant to the pharma industry and author

“Whenever I see Nick for a 1:1 session, no matter how I am feeling beforehand, Nick always leaves me feeling very inspired and uplifted when I leave. As well as his natural warm and caring attitude, he is a highly skilled mentor and coach and has an uncanny knack of getting to the heart of things. And if that is not enough, he offers a wealth of practical wisdom too and I end up taking away new ideas for my business.”Sue Hills, Managing Director at Mycare Services Ltd

The 88 word quotation that changed my life

“When you work only for yourself, or for your own personal gain, your mind will seldom rise above the limitations of an undeveloped personal life. But when you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break your bonds: your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”

Patanjali, founder of Yoga sutras, 2nd century b.c.

I have shared the above quote many times in seminars, talks and with private clients across the planet. It never fails to touch people and is one of my favourite quotes. There was a time when I felt that if I became inspired about something, I should go and lie down for half an hour and let it pass. My experiences have taught me otherwise, and I say, ‘We all matter, we are all significant and we are the ones we have been waiting for.’

If that quote moves you too, and you feel ready to explore the next chapter of your inspired leadership journey, then please get in touch to arrange your discovery session.

The first step is to e-mail me at nick@iamnickwilliams.com to arrange your 60 minute Discovery session: Unearth and explore your next leadership chapter.

I have designed an exploratory conversation that helps you uncover and get a flavour of your own next chapter of leadership. We can explore what working with me would look like.

This is for you if:

• You are already leading a project, team, organisation or community
• You know in your heart there is a new chapter beckoning you –it is time to blossom
• You know you may be playing smaller than your capability and not yet fulfilling your full potential

The benefits are that together you will:

• Get a flavour of this next chapter – what it is and what it looks like and means to you – and give it a name
• What your fear and resistance to it might be
• What next step you will inspire yourself by taking next to birth this project
• Who you will need to grow in to becoming to succeed here?
• What the benefits of working together will be for you

As a result of our conversation, if we feel inspired to work together, I will create a tailored coaching proposal for you, with timescales, objectives and investment. Then we will schedule a time to start the coaching and mentoring journey together. This can involve face-to-face meetings and working by phone and Skype.

If you would like to discover your next stage please email me at nick@iamnickwilliams.com to arrange your 60 minute conversation.

If you are ready to blossom into the next chapter of your inspired leadership, then I look forward to hearing from you and supporting you on the next stage of your journey.

Coaching a leader of leaders – Andrea’s story

On July 23rd 2014, I was invited by Antoinette Haering to be the surprise guest at her husband Andreas’s 50th birthday party near Berne in Switzerland and then coach him the next day. To read the whole story of this wonderful experience, click here to read my blog post.

Here is the video blog that Andreas created after our time together:

Investment:

I very aware that some people don’t have a budget that allows my fees, so I do also have a couple of slots available at lower cost. Please drop me a line and we can arrange to have a conversation: nick@iamnickwilliams.com

A sample of coaching and mentoring feedback

"Leadership isn’t about having a great job title and a corner office – it’s being authentic, and courageous and Nick personifies those characteristics. He has been a superb mentor, coach and friend for me for many years. I’m grateful to Nick for inspiring me to find my own authentic voice, encouraging me to write my book, The Tao of Storytelling and coaching me while I was setting-up The Story Mill to bring my passion for storytelling into business. Thank you Nick for your amazing leadership and for inspiring others to become leaders in their own lives too."

Claire Taylor

***

"You lead people to a place where they can see the limitations they believed were in place in their lives were nothing more than illusions of their own creation and that the real truth is that there are endless opportunities for a rich and fulfilling life."

Liz Trubridge, the executive producer of Downton Abbey
***

"Speaking from personal experience, what I see as you as ‘you at your best’ is your being inspirational, and hence motivational. You have helped me several times to reframe my thinking, such that I am able to step onto a faster conveyor belt towards achieving my goals. In the wider perspective (from my observation) I see you as bringing people together for their mutual fulfilment. You have great skill in facilitating people’s access to information and experiences that would otherwise remain unavailable to them. People love being around you, and your manifest love for them makes them feel safe and cared for."

Peter Carey MDof The PDP group of companies
***

“Whenever I see Nick for a 1:1 session, no matter how I am feeling beforehand, Nick always leaves me feeling very inspired and uplifted when I leave. As well as his natural warm and caring attitude, he is a highly skilled mentor and coach and has an uncanny knack of getting to the heart of things. And if that is not enough, he offers a wealth of practical wisdom too and I end up taking away new ideas for my business.”

Sue Hills, Managing Director at Mycare Services Ltd
***

"At the crossing point in my career, I stumbled upon Nick’s book The Work We Were Born to Do. I’ve been hooked ever since. Through his own talks and guest speakers, I’ve was inspired to set up the business that I was born to set up, today, I’m blessed with enjoying 90% of my work. Being an entrepreneur is a difficult journey, at critical low points in my life and career, Nick managed to shine a light and shown me the way. His input has enabled me to bloom like a butterfly, shedding lots fear and conditioning. I can now live my life in my “brilliance” as a leader who is ready to make this word a better place."

Amie Lee, Pioneer and MD of Naturally Chinese restaurant, the first MSG-free Chinese restaurant in the UK
***

"Having been coached by Nick myself I would recommend him for coaching. Any kind of coaching - life, business, career. He is a great listener and helps you work towards your own answers rather than knowing what is good for you!"

Euan Semple, formerly Head of Knowledge Management at the BBC, now an independent thought leader and author of Organisations Don’t Tweet

***

"I worked with Nick in sessions every couple of months over a period of three years, prior to my resignation from a very stressful position running a department in a University at a time of course closures and staff redundancies. Nick provided an invaluable space in which I was able to manage my stress levels, the transition to a new career and my own development."